Outside Looking In
by lilbratty74
Summary: My way of how Ron ended up apologizing to Hermione after the nightmare incident. Set in first year. Cute R/Hr OneShot


A/N: This is Just some cute OneShot I thought of. When I heard this song I thought it worked perfectly for this situation.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the song "Outside Looking In." Although I can't say I don't wish I did.

Hermione Granger was sitting with her back to the bathroom wall, crying her eyes out. The thing was, she had no idea why _it_ had effected her so much. "It" referring to that git Ron Weasly calling her a nightmare and saying that is the reason why she had no friends. She was used to being made fun of. It happened all the time at her old Muggle school. Why should it be any different here? From him?

**Because his opinion matters to you, **a voice in her mind said.  
_No. It doesn't. Why would it?,_ she thought back  
**Because you fancy him. That's why. You want him to like you.  
**_I do not.  
_**Oh yes you do.  
**_Do not._  
**Do too.  
**_Do NOT._  
**Do TOO.  
**_Fine! I do. I fancy Ron Weasly. Happy now?  
_**Immensely.**

God she hated her brain sometimes.

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Meanwhile, Ron Weasley was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room. Everyone else was down at supper. He had left when he heard about Hermione from Neville. He had never meant to make her cry. He didn't even know she was behind him until she knocked into Harry. Now she was crying in the girls bathroom. And it was his fault. He didn't know why he said the things he did. He didn't think of her that way. She wasn't a nightmare. She could occasionally get annoying but she was never a nightmare. He really thought she was nice, kind, smart, pretty, fu-Wait. WHAT? Pretty? Where did _that_ come from? I mean sure she had pretty eyes, a nice smile, bushy hair that he thought was cute-Come on Ron. Get a hold of yourself. You do not fancy Hermione Granger. You do NOT.

Oh who was he kidding. Yes he did. He fancied Hermione. A bloody _lot_. But he had still made her cry. He would never forgive himself for that. But right now, he had to apologize. Ron got up from staring at the fire and made his way out of the portrait. He half walked, half ran down the halls and reached the girls bathroom. He stopped abruptly when he heard a faint voice coming from the room. He strained his ears to listen and realized it was none other than Hermione. But the thing was, she wasn't talking. It sounded like she was..._singing_. And boy could she sing. Ron stood stunned, with his ear to the door, listening to her.

"You don't know my name  
You don't know anything about me  
I try to play nice  
I want to be in your game

The things that you say  
You may think I never hear about them  
But word travels fast  
I'm telling you to your face  
I'm standing here behind your back"

Ron listened to the words carefully. He realized there who she was singing about. Him. She was singing about him. About what he had said about her. That just made him feel even worse. He peeked through the key hole and saw her slumped against the wall, knees to her chest and her head in her hands. That is probably why her voice soued so muffled.

"You don't know how it feels  
To be outside the crowd  
You don't know what it's like  
To be left out  
And you don't know how it feels  
To be your own best friend on the outside looking in

If you could read my mind  
You might see more of me that meets the eye  
And you've been all wrong  
Not who you think I am  
You've never given me a chance"

She was right. He had never given her a chance to be other than 'the girl who knew everything.' He wished he had though. Hermione had finally lifted her head and Ron could see her eyes were all red and her face blotchy. There were still silent tears running down her face. Ron wanted nothing more than to run in there and wipe them away, but was afraid too.

"You don't know how it feels  
To be outside the crowd  
You don't know what it's like  
To be left out  
And you don't know how it feels  
To be your own best friend on the outside looking in

Well, I'm tired of staying at home  
I'm bored and all alone  
I'm sick of wasting all my time

You don't know how it feels  
To be outside the crowd  
You don't know what it's like  
To be left out  
And you don't know how it feels  
To be your own best friend on the outside looking in

You don't know how it feels  
To be outside the crowd  
You don't know what it's like  
To be left out  
And you don't know how it feels  
To be your own best friend on the outside looking in"

When she had finally finished he heard her sniff and saw her put her head back into her hands. He could hear muffled sobbing coming from her shaking form. That was all he needed. He quietly opened the door and approached her catiously.

"Hermione?" he said softly.

Hermione gasped and her head shot straight up. She saw who it was and she quickly wiped away the tears on her face. She averted her eyes from him and said in the most quiet voice that he barely heard her.

"What do you want?" her voice sounded thick and miserable.

"I-uh..um..I wanted t-to apologize for..um..saying those things. I never meant for you to hear them." Oh Damn. That was a bad choice of words.

"So, you would of just waited to make fun of me when I wasn't around," she said, her voice getting stronger, while glaring at him.

"NO! I mean...that's not what I meant. I didn't mean any of those things. I don't even know why I said them." he said, while looking at his shoes.

"Oh." was all she could say.

They stayed quiet for several minutes when Ron finally got the courage to speak up.

"I heard you singing before. You were really good." Hermiones eyes shot up and locked with his eyes. Her expression softened a bit at the second comment.

"Thanks," she said smiling slightly. She really was very pretty when she smiled. Her eyes seemed to light up and add to the sparkle that was already in them.

"I-if that song, the one you sang, was about who I think it was," he started to say, "I do know what that feels like. I've got 5 older brothers who never really bother with me since I'm the youngest. Then there's Ginny, who gets most of the attention since she's the only girl and the youngest of all of us. My brothers have done basically everything here, so there's not much I can do to make an impression. Unless I want to try and do everything, which for me I can gaurantee as impossible." He ended miserably. He looked up and saw her smiling again at him. Finally she spoke.

"You know," she said, "I don't think you give yourself enough credit. If you applied yourself you could probably do really good in your classes."

He snorted. "Yeah, like I'd ever apply myself to something other than Quidditch and chess." He was smiling.

Hermione got up, smiling a him. She wiped her hands on her school skirt and started for the door. "We better get going," She paused at the door. "And Ron?" she said looking back at him. He gave her a questioning look.She smiled widely at him and walked back over to him. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks"

Ron blushed and touched his cheek. He smiled and said, "What are freinds for?"

This was the start of a beautiful friendship. And romance...

_finite._

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_A/N: Hey Guys! I hope you liked it. _

_ReViEw._


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